It took a while for the Wayne Rooney Show to unfold but eventually it was there in all its match-winning trickery. He scored the goal that broke the opposition's spirit. He made the one that condemned Sunderland to another weekend of soul- searching and he touched the stars with his feel for entertainment.

The Stadium of Light dazzled to his tune.

Until Rooney's inspired, opening Pele-Best strike Sunderland had been a blaze that needed dousing but there were too many holes in United's bucket. The stocky young Liverpudlian changed all that. His delivery could have been a thank-you to his goalkeeper, Edwin Van der Sar, who had kept United in the match for the previous 40 minutes.

Sunderland's surge of attacking play was based on solid teamwork. Man for man they were inferior but Andy Welsh, who cost £15,000 from Stockport County and used to have Manchester United pictures pinned to his bedroom wall, was lifted by the occasion.

His trickery on the left, where Julio Arce usually excites the fans, brought him the accolades but Van der Sar was stealing the show from the start. His greatest moment came when Gary Breen burst through a ruck to meet Liam Lawrence's right-wing corner. The header was powerful and accurate but somehow Van der Sar launched himself to the angle of post and bar and pushed the ball against the wood.

Almost immediately the Dutch international goalkeeper was snatching the ball from Welsh's feet before picking it off Dean Whitehead's head. He foiled Breen a second time and as the ball kept coming back in his direction.

Anything cohesive in this first half was a rarity for United. Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo combined in one sweeping attack to give Ruud Van Nistelrooy a chance that was deflected for a corner.

Sir Alex Ferguson was clearly unhappy with his static midfield and was a frequent visitor to the touchline with an admonishing finger. Rooney ended his anguish and the force stayed with United as quality made its mark.

They began passing the ball around in inventive triangles with Scholes, Ronaldo and the South Korean Ji-Sung Park leading the entertainment and the back four, with Phil Bardsley making his first league start at right back, looking secure.

Rooney, flicked through by Van Nistelrooy, banged an angled shot across goal, then fired wide and Sunderland manager, Mick McCarthy, made a 62nd-minute substitution with Anthony Le Tallac and Jon Stead replacing Lawrence and Andy Gray. They were just in time to appreciate an impressive session of keep-ball by United and see Breen clear off the line from Park who cleverly worked an opening for himself.

Sunderland's early fire had been extinguished. Van de Sar could relax although United's second goal seemed overdue. It came with more magic from Rooney who opted for a double-act with Van Nistelrooy. From inside his own half Rooney collected the ball, nodding it forward and continuing his run. He was too quick for the pursuers as was Van Nistelrooy when Rooney released him to run on and drive the ball low past Kelvin Davis's right foot.

United's soaring confidence allowed them to send on little Guiseppe Rossi in place of Van Nistelrooy. The move almost had a back-fire of major proportions as a speculative left footer from Stephen Elliott finally eluded Van der Sar to drift into his top corner for Sunderland's 81st minute goal.

When Van der Sar was forced into another fine save from Le Tallac's free kick it looked doubly ominous. United laughed last, though, when Rossi scored with a low shot and was swamped by team mates. Van der Sar ran the length of the pitch to join in the celebrations.